Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
establishment as a guest, while Baby Boomer restaurants are more likely
to provide secluded booths where guests can dine with some privacy;
•
Comfort: the style of furniture used and especially the chairs is a major
comfort factor. The faster the restaurant's desired turnover of guests, the
less comfortable the chairs that are provided;
•
Vegetation is used in a number of ways. Vegetation can indicate a 'green'
or 'sustainable' business as well as offering colour, intimacy and image
building. The important issue is that vegetation is maintained to a high
standard. A dying
Ficus
or rubber plant in the corner of the room does
not inspire a guest to feel the food is fresh;
•
House architecture: this creates the overall image of the dining experi-
ence. It can create nostalgia, old, young or fresh and help attract specific
consumer groups;
•
Colour affects how consumers feel and it plays a role in eating behav-
iour. It can make consumers eat quickly, McDonald's red is an example
of this, or slowly using more relaxed colours.
Trends
Every year the
Australian
newspaper publishes the 'Hot
50
Restaurants' and
look at trends in Australia. In 2013 it identified the following trends of which
food tourism restaurants should be aware:
•
The best managed restaurants tend to be small focused restaurants; the
owners are more passionate and can relate to the local environment;
•
Fine dining is becoming less popular as consumers seek better value;
•
Local and unusual ingredients are been sought by consumers. In Austra-
lia this includes nettles and palm hearts, homemade butters, homemade
curds and handmade smoked products.
According to Rene Redzepi, the chef and owner of Noma, the Copenhagen
restaurant that is considered to be one of the best restaurants in the world,
the menu of the future will focus on locally grown and seasonal fruit and
vegetables and have less emphasis on meat.
3
All these trends are relevant to food tourism-focused restaurants.
•
Wine-friendly foods are in vogue plus the wine is an added value oppor-
tunity for the restaurant.
Theatrical eating
Culinary tourists seek an experience, as a result a number of theatrical res-
taurants have appeared around the world.
Biribildu, for example, is a souvlaki restaurant in Athens, Greece,
designed by Greek architect Minas Kosmidis (
www.minaskosmidis.com)
,
and planned to look like a circus ring. Once inside patrons are exposed to
